


Sins Of The Eternal

by Gallifrey_Immigrant



Category: Doctor Who, Doctor Who (2005)
Genre: F/M, Gen
Language: English
Status: In-Progress
Published: 2017-06-09
Updated: 2018-06-10
Packaged: 2018-11-11 12:41:14
Rating: General Audiences
Warnings: No Archive Warnings Apply
Chapters: 8
Words: 17,527
Publisher: archiveofourown.org
Story URL: https://archiveofourown.org/works/11148630
Author URL: https://archiveofourown.org/users/Gallifrey_Immigrant/pseuds/Gallifrey_Immigrant
Summary: The Metacrisis Doctor and Rose Tyler made themselves a new TARDIS, and were ready to move forward. To finally go into their proper home, outer space. But then something went horribly wrong, and now Pete's Dimension is undergoing a monumental transformation. And someone has called the Twelfth Doctor and Clara to Pete's Dimension, while dark forces are waiting to capitalize on what will happen.The two Doctors and their companions will be very busy.





	1. Chapter 1

John Smith saw a giant orange crystal crawling out of the TARDIS. Webs of energy criss-crossed around the rebuilding ship, creating a light show around the exterior of the ship. Rose, sipping at hot cocoa in her hand, looked dazzled at the display.

 

Not that they dare get any closer. Within the ship, thousands of computations were occurring, across the three dimensions and beyond. John no longer possessed the capability to fully calculate them all, but he knew enough to keep his distance. Still, John couldn't help but lean toward the glowing TARDIS, like a moth to a flame.

 

And then, for a second, there was complete darkness. John knew it was the TARDIS collecting the nearby photonic energy. One final knitting of the exterior, one final rewiring of the TARDIS interior. And then, a rainbow shone across the street, revealing the antsy UNIT soldiers behind John and Rose.

 

"Is that good?" asked Jackie. She had insisted on accompanying them to watch the rebuilding of the TARDIS. She knew how much it meant to her daughter and her soon-to-be son-in-law.

 

The light dimmed. And then, in the distance, was a familiar blue object. Well, the blue was dulled, almost looking more like a grey. There were no words on the front, and the handles were rusted. One window looked busted.

 

But it was the Doctor's TARDIS.

 

"It's good, mum. Everything's good," said Rose.

 

John wiped the tears from his eyes. Before he could even reach his hand out to open the doors, the door swung open. As if this TARDIS was eager to be used again.

 

John laughed. He was back home again. And home was ready for him. He ran to it, then stopped, and turned back. Why wasn't Rose following?

 

Rose, smiling, said "I'll be right with you."

 

She looked back at Jackie and Pete. And he understood. Yet again, he was stealing their daughter away. A pang of guilt hit his heart. In the back of his mind, the pulse of the TARDIS hummed to him. Its music tried to sing to him, but he no longer had the ears to fully understand. It was still a nice song, though.

 

Rose and her parents talked. After a moment, she returned. Her eyes were red from tears, and so was Jackie's.

 

"I know what you're going to say. I'll take good care of your daughter," said John Smith.

 

"My little girl's gonna be fine. It's you I'm worried about," said Pete, with a laugh.

 

"Be safe, you bloody dumb alien," said Jackie. John could tell she was holding back tears, and so many other words.

 

John Smith and Rose, hand in hand, walked into the TARDIS.

 

A sudden headache pierced John's head. And the TARDIS began to glow again. Something was off. The UNIT soldiers began to argue amoungst themselves

 

"I thought you said the TARDIS was fixed," said Jackie.

 

"It is. Might have a few kinks, though," said John. He didn't want them to worry. This was the most joyous time that he could he ever remember.

 

Then the TARDIS blew up.

 

On the other side of the universe's barrier, Clara Oswald woke up to a blaring sound ringing through her ears. The sound rumbled through her bed, and she ran out in her pajamas.

 

"Are you we under attack?" screamed Clara. She could barely hear herself over the sounds of the alarms. After scrambling to the console room, she saw the slender figure of the Doctor. He wore a hoodie, one of his newest attempts at discovering who he was. Secretly, she thought it looked good on the elder man. His white hair was particularly unruly today, threatening to become an afro. His eyes contained the same cold intensity it always did. Before, that intensity would have intimidated her, but now she was starting to appreciate it.

 

Clara glanced at the scanner. They were all on the fritz right now. The Doctor took a few peeks at them, and started to flip certain dials here and there. He barely noticed Clara, until she tapped him on the shoulder. He looked back, and waved.

 

"Changed your clothes, I see. I approve," said the Doctor.

 

"Doctor, why are alarms blaring in the TARDIS?" said Clara.

 

"It appears the Time Lords are sending me an alarm message. That's very odd. And I utterly refuse to deal with it," declared the Doctor. He tapped a button, and the alarm stopped.

 

"Why not hear them out? What if they're in danger?" said Clara.

 

The Doctor gave her a rather epic side-eye glance, and pursed his lips. Clara crossed her arms, and waited for his rebuttal.

 

"I just saved them from a Time War! I can't save them from every pitfall!" said the Doctor.

 

Clara kept on staring. Raising an eyebrow, she gave him an equally epic side-eye.

 

Rolling his eyes, the Doctor grumbled "One listen. If I hear any requests for money or singing, I'm cutting it off."

 

The message came on the scanner: "Anyone who will listen: something is wrong with the population. Several of our people are ill. And no one is dying. We are just suffering. Please, send help. If you know about Gallifreyan biology, send help. We are suffering."

 

The message ended.

 

"Why would Time Lords need help?" said Clara.

 

"That is not the question," said the Doctor. His eyes narrowed. He turned the scanner off, and said " The question is: Why is the transmission coming from another universe?"

 

After an hour of extensive travel, the Doctor and Clara found themselves in London. But according to the Doctor, not the London Clara knew. This was an alternate universe, with alternate versions of people from Clara's home verse.

 

Right now, it didn't look very friendly. UNIT soldiers covered every block, and the few people outside were carrying gas masks.

 

"Is there an infection going on?" said Clara. She didn't fancy catching a disease.

 

"I fear it may be worse than that," said the Doctor. He waved down a soldier.

 

"Why aren't you wearing your mask?" asked the soldier.

 

"What's the disease?" asked the Doctor.

 

"It's a flu. Very dangerous. Stay inside," said the soldier. He sounded young.

 

The Doctor grabbed the man's hands, and shook it firmly. Clara was shocked at the act of courtesy.

 

"Thank you for your service. You UNIT folk do such a good job doing...whatever it is you do. Really gets the hearts pumping, eh?" said the Doctor.

 

"Um, thank you. Good day, and go back home," said the soldier. He slowly backed away.

 

"Okay, so what was that about?" asked Clara.

 

"That man has one and a half hearts," said the Doctor. He wiped his hands on his hoodie.

 

"Why?" said Clara.

 

"UNIT fellows! I need to find the leader of you imbeciles. Tell him or her or zher that the Doctor is here," said the Doctor.

 

The soldiers all paused and stared at him.

 

"Doctor who?" asked one soldier.

 

"The one with a blue box," said the Doctor.

 

"Why would a doctor have a box?" said another soldier.

 

Around 30 minutes later, Clara found herself blindfolded in an underground bus. Apparently, she was being brought to a super-secret place called Torchwood. So far, it sounded like UNIT with more edginess. The Doctor sat on the floor. avidly looking at one of the notebooks in the bag of the bodyguard to their left. The blindfold was removed, and she was crowded into a bus.

 

"May I see that?" said the Doctor. The guard looked at him, and after a brief look at the others, passed it to him. He flicked through the pages, humming and hawwing.

 

"When did you design this?" said the Doctor.

 

"Around a few days ago," the guard said. His face beamed with pride.

 

"Interesting. You'll never win awards, but keep it up. You have enthusiasm," said the Doctor, who gave it back.

 

The ride stopped. A redheaded man walked inside. He carried an air of authority about him. He nodded at the guards, who left them be. The man sat down, eyeing up the Doctor and Clara. To Clara, it seemed like a passable version of a fierce staredown.

 

"Who are you?" said the Doctor.

 

"If you're the Doctor, you should already know," said the man.

 

"I forget things. You're named after the dimension right? Peter?" said the Doctor.

 

"Other way around. Close enough, though. And this lovely lady is...?"

 

"Clara Oswald. I'm his companion. Nice to meet you," said Clara.

 

He shook her hand, smiling. It was a warm smile, yet sadness marred his eyes. Clara had seen that look so many times, often in good men and women.

 

The Doctor looked bored. Twiddling his thumbs, he asked "Why are people turning into Time Lords?"

 

"Wait—is that what's happening?" asked Pete.

 

"Obviously. People are growing second hearts. Your guard drew an ancient Gallifreyan artwork overnight. And someone in this universe sent a message in ancient Gallifreyan runes, to my TARDIS. I presume it wasn't Torchwood?" asked the Doctor.

 

"No. We're not quite sure what's going on, but well...I think someone knows. But he hasn't left his room in ages," said Pete.

 

"Who?" asked Clara.

 

"Well, technically...that person is the Doctor," said Pete.


	2. Chapter 2

It was so quick. The Doctor, born of the metacrisis but still the Doctor, and her were walking into the TARDIS, and were about to start another round of adventures.

 

Then a large boom had echoed across her ears. Light blasted into her face, piercing into her soul. Some part of her mind knew this – this was the heart of the TARDIS, exploding it's energy outward. The wilderness of time released itself across reality, and smashed Rose and the Doctor across the face. The last thing she saw before going unconscious was the light spreading across the land.

 

But even as she slept, Rose saw the light. The light morphed into horrific shapes, transforming into a psychedelic pattern that reminded her of watching the night sky on LSD. It slowly opened into a large hole, and she felt herself stretched into another shape. Felt her essence remade, and then stuffed back inside a small human frame.

 

Then she woke up. She was in a hospital bed, with Jackie and Pete beside her.

 

"What happened? Where's the Doctor?" asked Rose.

 

"He's fine. Just knocked out. The ship exploded. Leaked out some sort of radiation. Everyone seems okay, though," said Pete.

 

"I'm gonna strangle that Doctor when he wakes up," said Jackie quietly.

 

Soon, Rose found John sitting quietly by himself. He joked about how accidents happen, but Rose could tell he was sad. That had been their chance to leave. His chance to grow into the Doctor he was meant to be. And it had been lost. She assured him they would try again. John smiled at that, but doubt had crept in.

 

Out the side of her eye, every now and again, something appeared. It was like a green haze. Rose dismissed it as paranoia.

 

The first real sign of deeper problems was during the first day someone didn't die.

 

It was an average knife fight in Cardiff. Some woman said the wrong thing to another woman, and the victim, a Barbara, ended up bleeding on the floor. She fell into death before any help could be brought.

 

And then her eyes flew open. Her body twisted and turned before the onlookers' eyes, and she screamed.

 

She was fortunate, in that her body rehealed, with few scars. Other injured people regained limbs of a different color. And those who were mortally wounded grew new mouths in their stomachs, or caught themselves in a never ending stretch of agony, as their bodies constantly tried to regenerate. And for those with brain injuries, their heads would fix, but a second or third personality would emerge.

 

No one died. But everyone suffered.

 

Torchwood was immediately on the case. They tried to find a pattern to these conditions, and it wasn't too hard to guess it was the TARDIS experiments. Cardiff was quarantined (with a cover story about a flu) and people screened.

 

Then the phantoms appeared. Many Cardiff residents mentioned creatures made of green light showing up out of nowhere. It was thought to be a local phenomenon, until a tourist mentioned seeing one at their home in Ohio. None of these creatures seemed hostile, but occasionally they would take objects.

 

On top of all this, people began to develop heart issues. Oddly, people didn't seem mad at this. Something was making people stronger, faster, more resilient. Rose herself felt better these days, like she could run all day. Her eyesight had improved, and her skin healed quicker.

 

Overall, Rose found herself much busier these past few days. And John Smith had locked himself in his room. Ever since the first reported half-deaths, he stayed inside, barely talking to Rose. It pissed her off, really. He couldn't just shut down like that. Not when the world needed him. Not when she needed him.

 

Because the world was changing. Rose was changing. When she touched her chest, her heartbeat sounded wrong. She no longer needed to look at a clock to know the time, and sometimes she could sense everything around her all at once.

 

She had a terrible feeling she was turning into a Time Lord.

 

Today, like most days, she sat in her room. It was early morning--9:00 A.M., her senses said—and John was asleep, most likely. He was doing a lot of that these days. Was that him avoiding the situation? Or preparations for a hard day ahead?

 

She heard her father Pete speaking outside. He was using his "debriefing" voice. She hurried out the room. Ever since the TARDIS explosion, she had been treated with kid gloves. Screw that. Time to get into the action!

 

"Here's John Smith. He doesn't like guests, except Rose," said Pete.

 

"What's going on?" asked Rose.

 

"I'm bringing these people to see John. Shouldn't you be in bed?" asked her father.

 

Two people were beside him. One was a mousy brunette, with a colorful purple suit, and sensible brown shoes. Rose wasn't sure whether this woman was classy in the nice way, or the condescending way. Her eyes looked swiftly around. The man beside her was a much older bloke, dressed in a hoodie(!) and with a shock of white hair growing from his head. His blue eyes gazed straight into hers, with what looked like recognition. Who was he?

 

"Hello, I'm Clara Oswald. And this is the Doctor," said Clara.

 

Rose's eyes widened. Her mind put the pieces together, and she took another look at the older man. His deep stare answered whatever questions she had.

 

"Wow, Doctor. You've aged. I like it, though. Going for the silver fox look," said Rose.

 

Clara's eyes got wider. She turned back to the Doctor and whispered to him. He shrugged.

 

"Hello, Rose," he said brusquely. He walked into John's room, without knocking. Not even a hug in response. He had treated her like a stranger.

 

"So, you're his newest companion. Probably never mentioned me, huh" said Rose.

 

"Doesn't mention anyone, really," said Clara. She gave a nervous smile.

 

Rose walked inside. The Doctor was standing over John, who was lying on his bed shirtless, with a thermometer in his mouth. Equations were written on the walls, and medical equipment sat on top of the chair.

 

"So. You're the Doctor?" said John to the hoodied alien. His eyes looked tired, and Rose realized he hadn't slept in days.

 

"Why did this happen?" asked the Doctor. A cold steel permeated his tone, like the voice of an angry parent.

 

"We don't know," said Rose. The Doctor ignored her.

 

"I tried to meld the coral you gave me, with the remains of a half-dead TARDIS I found. I was gonna create a new TARDIS. To fly off with," John said. He leaped off the bed, flashing a quick smile at Rose.

 

"I know I shouldn't have left you that TARDIS fragment. Only you could have been so stupid as to mix two TARDISes together. Did it never occur to you how dangerous it could be? Why not just wait for that coral to grow?" said the Doctor. His grey eyes bore down into John's, and John met his gaze.

 

"That could have taken decades! Of course it occurred to me. But I calculated for the risks. I minimized the danger. I just had a small error...," said John.

 

"And now the entire population is slowly being mutated into abominations. All because you couldn't wait a few decades," said the Doctor.

 

John's face crumbled. That was why he shut himself inside. He felt responsible.

 

"They're not turning into abominations. I think we're turning into Time Lords," said Rose.

 

"What do you think a Time Lord is? Do you think we're human? We just look human. The inhuman creatures that are being created? That's the human genome encountering the Time Lord DNA, and realizing it can't win. The monsters that you're seeing on the news? That's what we look like, when we're not playing human. Go ahead, ask your boyfriend if I'm wrong," said the Doctor.

 

Rose looked at John. John couldn't look back.

 

"Right. Come on Clara. We're leaving," said the Doctor.

 

"We haven't done anything to help," said Clara.

 

"They brought it on themselves," said the Doctor.

 

Rose walked out, following the Doctor. He stopped, and turned around.

 

"What do you want, Rose?" he asked. None of the warmth associated with previous Doctors were there.

 

"Don't you care? How can you just walk away?" asked Rose.

 

"Caring? I left you a version of me that could care. Now you can grow old together, and die, over and over," said the Doctor.

 

"He didn't mean for this to happen. You act like you don't have any blame," said Rose.

 

"What makes you think I don't blame myself? If it means anything, I'm sorry for you. You're transforming into a Time Lord. Can't you feel it affecting your sense of time?" asked the Doctor.

 

"Yes. Sometimes it's like all of time happening around me. I can barely sense who is near me, or who's talking. I sense everything at once.," said Rose.

 

"That's what it's like for me, unless I focus. How it is on every dimension. Imagine how hard it is for me, to talk to all of you people. All of you small, wonderful, specks of space-time," said the Doctor.

 

"Are you trying to give me an excuse for being an ass?" asked Rose.

 

"No. I'm trying to tell you what John gave up to take the slow path with you," said the Doctor. His face was filled with a mixture of regret and sadness. Rose instinctively reached to cup his craggy face, but he leaned away. She withdrew her hand.

 

A blue shadow crept over Rose's vision. She turned to look at it, and it had razor sharp teeth, and five claws reaching out of its bodies. It screamed, but there was no sound, just the sense of a jagged vibration inside her brain, and the sudden beating of her newly minted second heart.

 

"What is that?" asked Rose.

 

"Close your eyes, Rose Tyler," said the Doctor.

 

As her eyes were closed, he said "Welcome. You're starting to see what a Time Lord does."


	3. Chapter 3

**Summary for the Chapter:**

> Clara and Pete's World's Doctor get to know each other.

At the same time, Clara watched John Smith scramble in his room. He was jabbing random pieces of equipment together, or at least it looked random. His chest sweated, as his hands wrapped together what looked like some sort of weird scanner. It suddenly hit Clara why this man looked familiar—he had the face of a previous Doctor. She had seen him on the day they saved Gallifrey from the Time War. Why did he have that face?

“Are you the Doctor? Because you look like him, and sound like him,” asked Clara. 

John Smith looked up at her. His eyes seemed warm, if a little sleepy. He shrugged.

“Technically, I'm a human clone of the Doctor. A chip off the old block, if you will. But I feel like I'm the Doctor. I have the memories of the Doctor. But you can call me John Smith. Most other people do,” said John. A hint of sadness crossed into his voice.

“Do you prefer being called John Smith?” said Clara.

“Well, I prefer being called the Doctor. But it's your preference,” said the clone Doctor. 

“Okay then, Doctor. Tell me, why is everyone turning into Time Lords now. And why did you make a TARDIS?” asked Clara. She sat beside the clone Doctor, who scooted over to give her space. He seemed to appreciate the companionship.

“The Doctor, your Doctor, left me in this universe with Rose. He also gave me some TARDIS coral, that would eventually create its own time ship. I would have been able to leave, but it would have taken decades to become full-grown. Rose and I would have been middle-aged by then, at the youngest. I couldn't wait that long. Fortunately, I found a damaged version of another universe's TARDIS. I melded those TARDIS pieces together, and had a TARDIS within a year,” said the clone Doctor.

“So what went wrong?” asked Clara.

“I'm not sure. But the TARDIS blew up. And when I woke up, everyone was turning into Time Lords. Maybe the TARDIS was just granting my wish. To have my race back. Except it isn't my race, I suppose,” said the clone Doctor.

“But you already have your race brought back. You stopped the Moment from destroying Gallifrey. It was wonderful,” said Clara.

In a flash, the clone Doctor was in front of her face. His eyes were inches from hers.

“I brought back what? When? Which regeneration?” he asked.

“You did. All of you. Your regenerations went back, and cancelled the Time War. Gallifrey's perfectly fine,” said Clara.

The clone Doctor backed up. His face seemed to be moving through tons of emotions. His hands rubbed his forehead, and he looked in the mirror. His mind looked far away, like he was considering countless things. Clara wasn't quite sure what to say, so she just waited.

“Thank you,” he said quietly. His hands went into his pockets, and then he wheeled around, walking out the front door.

Clara didn't even have time to tell him that he was still shirtless. 

John Smith, the Doctor of Pete's World, ran outside. His chest felt cold, but he couldn't worry about it now. Gallifrey was back. In his wildest dreams, he hadn't considered he could bring them back. He didn't know how he had, or why he had, but somehow he had brought back Gallifrey. His greatest regret had been destroying his home planet. That regret had formed his core, become a pile of rage he had dragged down underneath. And now, his regret was gone. 

He laughed out loud. The soldier in the lobby ignored him, but he didn't care. This was wonderful! He ran up to the soldier, and tapped him on the shoulder.

“Guess what? Gallifrey is saved!” said the clone Doctor. A great weight left his heart.

The soldier turned around, and with his razor sharp teeth, nearly bit the Doctor on the neck. The clone Doctor was yanked back by Clara Oswald, who had followed him.

“What's wrong with him?” asked Clara. 

The soldier's eyes were red, and his mouth was bleeding. His body seemed to be convulsing, and he was clearly in great pain. 

“Stay aw-way. They're c-coming,” said the soldier.

“Time Lord DNA isn't like normal DNA. Biodata isn't just on the physical dimension—it's on the temporal one as well, and even the physical part is far more screwed up then what you would expect. Time Lords are created from the power of the vortex. There are dark forces in the vortex. Now those forces are converting humans,” said the clone Doctor.

“How bad are these dark forces? You look fine,” said Clara.

“Really? Always thought my hair was too frizzy in this body. Anyway...oh! Jane, come over here. This guy needs help, ” the clone Doctor looked over at another soldier walking down the hall. 

Wait, Jane was running down the hall. The clone noticed she was looking back at something. Something was following her. He focused on the spot she was looking at.

An apparition appeared. The shadowy image of a dark phantom appeared. This phantom was tall, with empty eye sockets, and large bony hands. The clone knew these apparitions well, but he hadn't seen them since he had become human. This confirmed what he had already known, that he, too, was changing back into a Time Lord. That usually would have brought him joy, but right now he was filled with dread. Closing his eyes, he tried to connect with the psychic part of him that normally let him communicate with the apparitions, but to no avail. His transformation into a Time Lord wasn't far enough along yet for that.

“What are you staring at?” asked Clara. She must be human. Possibly the only pure human here right now. 

“Stay where you are, Clara. Jane, come toward me,” said the clone Doctor. He watched the apparition slowly approach Jane, and watched its bony fingers reach for her.

“What the hell is that?” asked Jane. 

“Jane. I need you to listen to me. What's the most important thing to you? What's your most prized possession?” asked the clone Doctor. 

“What?” asked Jane, clearly not amused. The apparition was right next to her now. It wasn't moving, just eyeing her blankly. 

“Answer me. I need to know your answer. Right now,” said the clone Doctor.

“Uh, well. Not really attached to anything. Except for my voice. Always wanted to be a s-singer,” said Jane. 

The green apparition seemed to evaporate, into a light mist. Jane breathed out, calming down. Then the mist threaded through her nose and mouth, and she began to cough loudly. She grabbed her throat, trying to talk, but she couldn't speak. Then the mist left her mouth, transforming back into a bipedal form. It looked at Jane for a few seconds, then it disappeared.

Jane turned back. She touched her throat, frowning. Then she opened her mouth, and attempted to speak. No sound came out.

“Jane? What's wrong? Doctor, did something happen?” asked Clara. 

(“Doctor.” The way Clara said it—that was the way a companion did. A companion who counted on him. He hadn't heard it said like that in a long time.)

Jane pointed at her mouth. She couldn't make any sounds, or say anything. Clara drew closer to her, and looked at Jane's mouth. What she saw (and what the clone Doctor already suspected) shocked her.

Jane's tongue was gone. 

The Doctor grabbed Jane and looked at her deeply. After a moment, he let her go. She was safe for now.

Jane made a series of taps. After a second, the Doctor realized it was Morse Code. She told him that she felt like the creature was taking away a piece of her.

“Thank you, Jane. I need you to stay here, with Clara. I need to find the Doctor, the other one,” said the clone Doctor. He turned to Clara, who looked confused.

“What attacked her?” asked Clara.

“Something from another dimension. Creatures that are always here, but humanity never sees them. But the people here aren't human anymore,” said the Doctor. He began to walk down the hall. Jane stopped him, and tapped out a message.

The Doctor paused, and looked down.

“Clara, can I borrow your jacket?” he asked.

Across another universe, something stirred. A terrible, majestic creature, wrapped in a blue skin, had landed, landing in a moment of space-time. She nestled there, calling out to a baby sister. The sister mewled—it was hurt—but it was growing. A twin, also dressed in blue, was young and damaged. It was asking for assistance, asking for help. 

The blue creature wondered what to do. Something was stirring in the universe. Creatures made from dreams and nightmares were coming/would come/ had come, depending on your view of time. And time was running out, in more than one respect. Perhaps her thief would be enough to fix it.

What was he doing now? She reached out to his mind.

No, don't do that. Don't do that. Don't-

“What's wrong?” asked Rose. The older Doctor looked suddenly pained. The expression passed after a moment, and he shook his head.  
“Got an odd feeling of dread. Must be nerves,” said the old Doctor. Black sunglasses covered his face, as he examined the broken remains of the TARDIS. Or rather, what the TARDIS had wrought. The room was covered with a spongy blue material, and a brown grass covered the floor. The grass looked disturbingly like human hair to Rose. 

“How long has it been since we last met?” asked Rose. The Doctor looked at her, confused.

“Does it matter?” asked the Doctor. Then he pressed his glasses, and it made a whirring noise. The noise reminded her of the sonic screwdriver. He frowned.

“Yep, this ship is really destroyed. But still alive, apparently,” said the Doctor.

“Do you think it's salvageable?” asked Rose. 

“I tell you that you've hurt this ship, and the first thing you think is: can I still use it?” said the Doctor angrily.

“It's the Doctor's ticket to freedom,” said Rose.

“So? I don't care about that. I just want to deal with the new Time Lords being created. But what you've done to this TARDIS is beyond imaginable,” he said. He took off his glasses, with an expression of disappointment.

At the corner of her eye, Rose saw someone. When she looked, no one was there, but she was smarter than that now.

“Something's in here with us,” said Rose. 

“That should be expected. This TARDIS is like s beacon of power. The universe isd starting to notice,” said the Doctor.

“Get out.”

Rose turned around to see a young woman wearing blue standing in front of her. The woman was petting the grass, and glaring at Rose with deep blue eyes.

“How'd you get in here? What are you?” asked Rose.

“You should leave. Leave, now!” said the girl.

The Doctor—her Doctor—appeared behind the girl. He was still shirtless, and beckoned her forward.

“Come on, Rose! I figured out how to fix the ship!” said her Doctor.

“Really?” said Rose.

“Wait. Messing with the TARDIS right now isn't a good idea. She's healing,” said the older Doctor.

“Listen, you haven't cared about this universe for how long? And now you think you can just come here and tell me what to do?” snarled her Doctor.

“Well...yes, basically. I was a young idiot at your age,” said the Doctor.

“He's not an idiot! Listen, Doctor, maybe you should lay off,” said Rose.

Her Doctor nodded, and grabbed her hands. He said “All I need you do is to touch the TARDIS, and connect yourself to its intelligence. Your Time Lord nature will do the rest.”

“Seriously? That's all? This won't hurt right?” asked Rose. 

Her Doctor shook his head.

Rose grabbed the grass of the TARDIS. It felt like her mind was flowing into it, and like something was flowing into her. Strangely, the sensation was nice, like meeting a warm friend.

Her Doctor approached her. His glance creeped her out.

“Wait,” said the older Doctor.

Connection.

Her Doctor touched her skin, and invaded her mind. This wasn't her Doctor—this was something older, something much worse. Rose couldn't move, just felt the creature move through her mind and into the TARDIS. Pain radiated from it and into her, and she heard a scream. The older Doctor bent to the floor, his face contorted in agony.

A loud whack rang out. 

Clara was above Rose with a fire extinguisher. The false Doctor fell down, and dispersed into air. Immediately, the pain went away.

“Alright, this place is officially creeping me out,” said Clara. 

Rose gasped. The pain had felt so real, and she had sensed the mind of the ship. She had glimpsed thoughts, feelings, opinions. It wasn't just a ship. It was a person. 

“More than a person. A space-time event,” said the older Doctor.

“I'm sorry,” whispered Rose to the ship. Rose tried to reach to the mind within, but she ignored Rose's entry. It was like the ship had blocked her off.

“Rose,” said her Doctor, who was wearing a jacket over his chest. She hesitated, but the older Doctor nodded that it was okay.

“Congratulations. Your girlfriend nearly contaminated the TARDIS. We need to move out quickly. I'm gonna have to meet the Time Lords about this,” said the older Doctor.

“The Time Lords really are back!” said her Doctor. His face lighted up with joy. 

“Yes, and don't remind me,” said the older Doctor. He turned to Clara, and said “Let's go.”

“I'm coming with you. I'm not going to miss this for the world,” said her Doctor. 

“Fine. Just try not to mess anything up,” said the Doctor.

Soon, they were all outside. Clara watched the empty streets, and wondered what the people thought of the quarantine. According to Pete, the people. Fog crawled over the land, making it hard to see where for Clara to see where they were going. The older Doctor seemed fully comfortable, and located the TARDIS without difficulty. Alone, the ship looked almost abandoned.

Clara heard a shout when they went inside. The clone Doctor and Rose were smiling and talking amoungst themselves. Had the actual Doctor once looked at Rose that way? It bugged Clara—not necessarily in a jealous way, just...The older Doctor she now knew wouldn't treat anyone that way. It reminded her of the previous, bowtied Doctor.

She decided to distract herself by peeking in on the older Doctor. His face was serious, as he inputted settings.

“You okay?” she asked. 

“Why wouldn't I be?” asked the Doctor. His face showed no emotion, which Clara knew meant he was feeling a whole lot of emotion.

“They're your people. Figure you might have some feelings to work through,” said Rose.

The Doctor didn't respond. He pushed the lever, and the TARDIS materialized on Gallifrey.

As soon as they walked out the door, guns were pointed at them. A black bald woman stared at them aggressively, while several soldiers eyed them.

“Um. What did I do?” asked the Doctor.

“You--” started a soldier, but the woman shushed him.

“This must be a mistake. Hello, Doctor. How are you? I'm the General,” said the woman. The woman wore large red armor, and had the bearing of someone in command. She shook his hand, and smiled at him. There was a faint sense of anger when the General saw Clara, but it passed.

“I have a problem,” said the older Doctor. 

“It has to be a big problem, to get you to come here,” said a woman in a red cloak.

“Ohila? Why is a Sister of the Flame here?” asked the Doctor.

“A madman came here and deposed Rassilon. I came to watch,” said the woman.

“Where was I?” asked the Doctor.

“The Doctor wasn't in that day,” said the General. A grimace played over her lips, and she shook her head.

“Why are you here, Doctor?” asked Ohila.

“I can answer that,” said the clone Doctor. He looked around the gold room, breathing in deeply. “In another universe, there's a new race of Time Lords being created. We need you to help us usher them into a new age.”

He smiled proudly. The older Doctor looked like he was about to slap his younger self.

“Actually, I was just going to ask for some of your technology,” said the older Doctor.

“There's a new race of Time Lords?” said the General, horrified. Ohila looked slightly amused. 

“Yes. And you're going to help them. First off, by giving them the ability to regenerate,” said the clone Doctor.

There was a short pause. Then the General sighed.

“Of course we'll help. In fact, I'll have to see this civilization for myself now. Too bad. I was looking forward to a break. Things are going to get complicated today, I see,” said the General. She gave a very big smile that Clara didn't trust for an instant.

“What could go wrong?” the clone Doctor said.


	4. Chapter 4

**Summary for the Chapter:**

> The General reflects on her life.

The General sighed as she watched the two Doctors at work, arguing about how to use the TARDIS. Why there were two Doctors wasn't clear to her, and she didn't care to ask for elucidation. Rubbing her bald head, she watched everyone within the TARDIS move about. Everyone avoided her, as if they were unsure what to say. Clara peeked over at her occasionally, while pestering the older Doctor. Not for the first time, the General wondered what made Clara so special. The Doctor had been willing to rip the universe apart for that human girl, but right now, the brunette looked so fragile. But Clara had caused the General now amount of trouble before, and probably would again today.

The General reclined, preparing fkr the difficult day ahead. The Doctor had said there would be a new species of Time Lord soon. That drove a shiver down the General's spine. Not only was that a change in the balance of power, but the forces needed to create a Time Lord were dark. The General had always carried misgivings about the Genesis of the Time Lords since the beginning.

Her (all except one of her bodies had been of the female persuasion) first years after leaving the birthing matrix had been tumultuous. It was said that she wrenched from the organic dross of her matrix with a scream that scared the onlookers. Even from young, her personality had been one of a leader, and she never followed a command easily without knowing why she should. Time Lord society was one of hierarchy, which the General now appreciated. That hierarchy, though frustrating, had kept Gallifrey together during the Time War. But, in her younger bodies, had felt the hierarchy was a foolish restriction. Perhaps that was why she could understand the Doctor so--she knew why the Doctor ran away. After all, she had done it herself, a long time ago.

It was in her third body,a young form with platinum blonde hair and dark blue eyes, that she had done so. Her young birth-Cousin had escaped into the Timeless Void, desperate to find a way to give his mother extra regenerations. Despite the fact that he was quite young, the Time Lords had decided that going after him was too dangerous. This had drove her to such anger, that she gathered a group of like-minded Gallifreyans, and cast off her real name, declaring herself as the General. It was foolhardy, but in her defense, she was young, and after the Doctor had escaped, becoming a renegade was starting to become fashionable. She found a battle TARDIS from Gallifrey's future hanging out in the void, and took off.

The General did find her cousin, though by then he had joined Faction Paradox, and eventually became a official criminal in the Gallifreyan court. She brought him to justice, though she promised him that his mother would be taken care of. 

After that, she took off on her own. The General traveled the universe, often ending up in the diplomatic courts of various planets. She learned that she had a knack for the political arts, often maneuvering her way despite foolish leaders and strong opponents. (Ironically, she would occasionally find herself trying to change a corrupt government from within, when a certain man or woman in a blue phone box would come along and topple it. It would have made tear her hair out, except that she preferred to be bald or very short-haired in her bodies.)

Politics is a dangerous game, and sometimes a fatal one. The General had lost her body to assassination three separate times. One time, it had been by her future self, in a particularly weird set of political maneuvering where she had quite literally been playing both sides. Still, nothing really scared her.

The scariest thing in her life was from before she had ever left Gallifrey, when her eyes stared into the Vortex. It was the moment every Time Lord remembered, the one nightmare every Time Lord had. She had been a freckled young redhead in that first body, precocious and annoyed. She had been studying that day, preparing for the oral exam she had been told she would have later that day. The House she was from thought it was better not to tell the pupils when they were to stare into the Vortex, as that would scare the children too much.

So, the General had no idea what was happening as her teachers hurried her from her antigrav chair, and dragged her into a dark room. Runes were placed in a circle, and temporal shields were placed outside the room. Before she knew it, the General's eyes were staring into the maelstrom. And as always, the maelstrom spoke back.

It whispered things into her that felt essential to remember, but never would. Her essence, the quasi-humanoid parts of her were taken out, and her body felt like whatever was put back in was different somehow. It was difficult to explain, although from conversations the General had with other Time Lords, it was normal. Every Time Lord who hadn't been born that way felt like something inside them was different, like the soul within wasn't quite them anymore, but some creature pretending to be them. It was a unique form of dysphoria that faded over time, but never really ever went away. You could often tell which Time Lords weren't born that way by the look in their eyes. The General was certain that the Master wasn't Time Lord-born. The Doctor, she wasn't sure about.

What scared the General the most was, when she looked into Vortex, while her mind was being destroyed, and then reshaped back together, with 12 others mixed within, something monstrous and beautiful looked back. Her memory played tricks with her, but she remembered skin of the color ivory white, and deep pink eyes, but nothing else. But, in her delirium, her vision saw the creature split, and give her a piece of itself, a piece of itself that fostered until it became 13 pieces, 13 minds, all with her name.

When the General woke up from her delirium, she saw her teachers surrounding her with worried looks. Her body was drenched with sweat, and her hearts were beating fast. 

"Did I pass?" asked the General. She still remembered how her teacher Borusa laughed heartily, and quietly brushed the General's red hair from her face.

"Yes, my dear. You are a Time Lord now," Borusa said.

In time, the General would shepherd her own students to see the Void. At first, with the proud smile of a aunt (and an uncle) watching a young Gallifreyan mature, and later with the grim expression of a General creating soldiers for a Time War. The Time War had necessitated more Time Lords, and then necessitated more dangerous creations. The War Lords declared that experiments would be needed to "improve" the process of Time Lord creation for War purposes. The General had highly disapproved of these new creatures, but was ignored. Demonic horrors had emerged from those processes, their flesh twisting with each regeneration, becoming more deformed. The creatures became known at the Grunts, as their vocal cords had diluted, and they only knew how to eliminate threats.

The War Lords claimed that these new creatures were the purest version of a Time Lord. No one seemed to realize what that implied about Time Lords.

That was what scared the General most about this new race. The younger clone Doctor seemed delighted for humans creating Time Lords. He was forgetting that, from a certain point of view, to be a Time Lord was to be a monster. 

Not that the General would ever regret becoming a Time Lord. Unlike other immortals, she relished being able to explore so much of the universe, and the experiences that life had afforded her. But, when she looked into the mirror, she knew something inhuman looked back.

In a few minutes, the General was in front of a random town. Houses were lined up in front of her, with what looked like trash on the paved streets. It unnerved her, and she couldn't quite figure out why. Was it the fact that her feet were on a ground that wasn't the streets of Gallifrey? Perhaps she had stood in the halls of the Homeworld too long. The large council room was nothing like the simple streets of the city—Cardiff was the name—that she was looking at. A large dark storm cloud covered the town, drowning out the light. As the General had decided to wear a simple light armor today, and was still rather bald, she hoped it wouldn't rain. Perhaps that was what messing with her mood.

No, that wasn't it. Something felt wrong in this town. As the G

“Are you okay?” asked Clara. Her doe-brown eyes looked into the General's.

“I'm fine. So, who am I supposed to meet?” said the General. There was no use in alarming people without proof. 

“My father, Pete Tyler. He's the leader of Torchwood, a very important organization on Earth,” said Rose.

The clone Doctor laughed, and Rose glared at him. When he noticed, he laughed again.

“Sorry. It's just that I don't think the General will be impressed by Torchwood's credentials,” said the clone Doctor. Rose slapped him on the shoulder, and rolled her eyes. They whispered to each other, and the General could tell they were very close. More than close.

Interesting. This Doctor had developed a romantic relationship with a human. That wasn't unheard of from renegades, and the General herself experienced a short-term relationship while she was undercover in Hollywood during her third regeneration. But the General wondered whether the Doctor was foolish enough to think it could last. She wondered whether Clara and the other Doctor was also in a relationship. She sneaked a peek at Clara, and nearly jumped, as the human was looking straight at her.

“They're really lovey-dovey, aren't they? It's sort of weird to think that he's the Doctor. Or used to be,” said Clara. She looked almost jealous.

“People change when they regenerate, sometimes majorly. I was a boring old bloke before. Now I'm feeling much more exciting,” said the General. Actually, she hadn't even had enough time to figure out who or what she was. 

“Hold on. You were a bloke?” said Clara. 

The General started to respond, but then noticed that the clouds were moving. The dark shapes gave her a sense of unease, and reminded her of the scary stories the students would tell each other at the Academy. 

“What are you looking at?” said Clara. Her eyes were scanning the sky, a hand shielding her eyes from the sun.

“You can't see the clouds?” said the General. 

The clouds suddenly stopped moving, then turned toward the ground. They began to twirl downwards, to the ground. That uneasy feeling in her chest got stronger, and her temporal sense, a sense that let any Time Lord know when the current course of action led to danger, began to spark. 

“Doctor! What's going on?” the General said. What was this?

The older Doctor ran up to her. He gave her a shrug, and looked nearly sheepish.

“Uh, I meant to mention those fellas. Don't bother them, and they shouldn't bother you too much. I think we should just focus on the problem at hand. We've got a whole new race of Time Lords. Shouldn't worry them with anything extra,” said the older Doctor. The General could taste a sense of guilt from the Doctor's psychic tune. Of course, the others couldn't sense it, so they just thought he was being rude.

“Wait a second. Are you saying that we're not gonna deal with the creature that took Jane's tongue?” said Clara. Her face scrunched up with indignation. 

The guilt taste intensified, but the Doctor's face didn't show it. Instead, he rolled his eyes, and said “Why would we? Your lot usually don't.”

For a brief second, his cold grey eyes moved to the General. His mind reached out to hers, with a terse message that was more or less a “Stay out.” The General sent back out a confirmed reply. None of the others seemed to notice.

A group of soldiers approached them. She knew they were men and women of battle, by the way they held their guns to their side. Their bodies had the rigidity of someone who was always ready for a fight, the same gait that so many of the soldiers she had sent to die had walked with. Their leader smiled upon seeing them, and grinned at the clone Doctor and Rose. She could hear his half-grown second heart beating faster.

“Rose! Doctor! Did you hear from Gallifrey?” he asked. The General guessed he was Pete. His eyes looked tired, though not depressed. The cheer of the leader seemed to calm the rest of the soldiers.

“Not only did we find Gallifrey, dad, but we got an actual Time Lord from Gallifrey. She's called the General,” said Rose proudly. Her face was plastered with a big grin, and the General felt like she was being put on the spot. 

Pete just gave an easy grin, and shook her hand.

“Are all Time Lords called 'the such and such'” said Pete.

“Only the ones who have been naughty. But don't worry, I come in peace,” said the General. There was an ease to this man, that reminded her of her previous body. 

“Good to hear. Now, do you understand the problem we have? People have been growing second hearts. If someone's injured, then instead of dying, they usually go insane. And some of us are just plain going insane,” said Pete.

“You're becoming Time Lords,” said the General dryly.  
“Exactly! That's why the General is gonna help shepherd us. First off, these people need the ability to regenerate,” said the clone Doctor. His gleeful expression made te General wonder whether he realized just how bad this situation could get. 

“Actually, I was hoping whether the General here could help give us a way to reverse the transformation,” said the older Doctor.

“What? Why?” said the clone Doctor. His eyes glowered at his older counterpart.

“Hey--” started Rose, but she was cut off by the General.

“Because the implications of having a whole new race of Time Lords could be catastrophic. Just one set caused an entire war that ripped apart the cosmos. Having two races could cause a lot more problems. What's to say the human species will know how to control that power?” asked the General.

“Oh please. Just because the Time Lords couldn't control their power doesn't mean the humans are gonna repeat their mistake!” said the clone Doctor.

“Plus, Gallifrey could help train humanity,” said Clara.

“Gallifrey is rebuilding. We barely survived the war. We don't even have time for ourselves, so why do you think we have time to help others? That's the problem with you, Doctor—you travel in your box, and although I respect what you do, you have very little idea what troubles Gallifrey daily, and how much we have to do to survive,” said the General.

The clone Doctor glared at her. Her higher senses could taste his anger, could see the bits of inhumanity seeping from his body, in and out of the higher dimensions. He frowned, shaking his head.

“Rose!” said the older Doctor. He was cradling her in his arms, as a black shape left her body.

“What did it take from her?” asked the clone Doctor. In a flash, both he and Pete was by her side. Pete's face was stricken with fear.

Rose opened her eyes, shaking her head.

“I'm fine. I feel a little weird, but I'm okay,” said Rose. 

The General scanned her brain. The creature had taken something, but the General couldn't tell what. The theft was nestled too deep into Rose's subconscious.

“Pete Tyler,” said the General. He looked up from his daughter.

“Yes?” said Pete. 

“I will do what I can for this world. But a TARDIS caused this to happen, yes?” asked the General. Pete nodded, and the General nodded “I'll need to see that TARDIS then. But know this—my loyalties are to Gallifrey. I'm sorry, but I must make sure that I think long-term here.”

“Was that a threat?” said Pete, sighing.

“No,” said the General. She promised to herself to make sure it wasn't a lie.

She looked up at the dark cloud. She knew the cloud was looking back. Whatever was in it could clearly swoop down and attack everyone. So why was it waiting?


	5. Chapter 5

**Summary for the Chapter:**

> Rose looks through the looking glass.

When Rose had left the TARDIS, it had looked like a large grassy room. Now, it was the size of the large building, with half the walls exposed. At first, she thought it was a skyscraper. A large red spiral jutted out of the ground, bits and pieces of it falling from the weight of it. A large cross-section was open, like a rip in the side of a box. Inside, she could see something moving, though she couldn't tell what it was. Oddly, that wasn't so frightening. However, she couldn't shake the feeling that the TARDIS was watching her. 

“The TARDIS interior dimensions are spilling open,” said the older Doctor, as if that explained anything. He and Rose were walking in front of the group. He was probably walking in front, because he wanted to get this over with. Rose had been hoping to just be alone, but that wasn't working out. She noticed the older Doctor looking at her out the side of her eye. She figured he was worried about the creature that had attacked her, but hadn't said anything yet. Her Doctor would have asked a lot of questions, trying to make sure she was okay. She wasn't in the mood for that right now, so that's why she was in front. 

She was walking fast too. Her body felt more active than even at her best human days. The double heart-beat in her ears was no longer frightening, but instead was more like a normal drone in the back of her mind. Transforming into a Time Lord didn't feel scary. Instead, it felt exhilarating, like a new breath of air. Every person and object around her seemed to have a shadow of color around them, like a halo around their bodies, Her Doctor had told her that was the potential time lines, translated into her visual cortex. Rose found herself staring at the people around her, enjoying this new sense. Weirdly, the Doctors had multiple glows. Probably a Time Lord thing.

But the monster that attacked her had no aura. The dark specter had invaded her mind, and ripped something out. Rose didn't know what it was, but she felt hollow somehow. She tried not to worry about it, and focus on the TARDIS.

“Is the TARDIS going to be okay?” asked Rose. It felt like a stupid question, but she had to say something.

“I have no idea. Because of your boyfriend's mucking around, and your tampering, the TARDIS has suffered heavy damage. It's trying to rebuild, but that might be difficult,” said the older Doctor. His mouth was pressed into a grimace, as he twiddled his thumbs.

“I'm sorry,” said Rose.

“That's very nice, but won't help me right now. What will help is if you assist me in interacting with the TARDIS,” said the older Doctor.

“Why me?” asked Rose. She didn't know much about TARDIS maintenance.

“Because you and “young and dashing” behind me are the pilots,” said the older Doctor.

“Pilots? We didn't fly--” 

“That isn't important. This TARDIS has picked you as a pilot—that's why you were able to link with it earlier. As this time ship is technically a hybrid of two other ships, I can't really figure out how it functions, or even if it'll accept me easily. The General and I will need all the help we can get,” said the Doctor.

“I'll do what I can,” affirmed Rose. After a pause, she continued “And about that weird specter….”

“It took something from you. Something important. Don't stress about it. It won't help,” said the older Doctor. He didn't elaborate. That comforted her, and also scared her.

They were in front of the hybrid TARDIS now. Up close, it looked even weirder. The large structure seemed to be moving up and down, like a breathing organism. Rose felt an urge to touch it.

“Why was this TARDIS taken out of its containment? And why is it so huge?” said her father to the soldier standing by. Rose recognized him as Larry, one of the newer Torchwood operatives.

“It wasn't moved, sir. It just teleported on its own. And then it just grew really big,” Larry said. He seemed rather nervous, and tapped his gun.

“Of course it did. It knew it was growing too big, so it found more space,” said her Doctor. He walked over to the red tower, petting her slowly. 

“Ah. Of course, that's obvious,” said her father, with maximum sarcasm. She could tell that he felt out of his league, though he was trying to hide it.

“It is, if you're me,” said her Doctor. His face turned into a grin, and he winked. Usually, that would have made Rose's heart(s?) flutter, but she didn't feel it.

The older Doctor practically threw his younger self out of the way, and beckoned Rose and the General over. He shook his head as he stared at the time ship.

“Wait. What do you need Rose for?” asked Pete. His face seemed very concerned.

“I need her to help communicate with the TARDIS. I'd use the youngun over there, but he'd be too smug about it,” said the older Doctor.

“Don't worry. I assure you that Rose will be fine,” said the General. 

“Yes, your worrying would only get in the way. In fact, shoo. Shoo, everyone who isn't me, Rose, or the General,” said the Doctor. Pete looked like he was going to argue, but the Doctor glared at him very hard.

“Fine. But keep her safe,” Pete warned.

“Can I stay? You said you're staying, and I count as you,” asked the clone Doctor. He raised his hands before the other Doctor could argue. Quickly, the clone Doctor walked over to Rose, and hugged her. 

“That Scottish geezer's right. Too many Time Lords could mess up this communication. I won't be too far away, okay?” said the clone Doctor. He kissed her on the mouth. It tasted unpleasant, and she pushed him off.

“What's wrong?” asked the clone Doctor.

“I'm not sure...” said Rose. His face was as nice as ever, but something seemed off. Touching him felt odd. 

“Are you going to stay here all day?” demanded the older Doctor. 

Rose kissed the clone Doctor back. She watched him and Clara walk away. Pete and his soldiers stayed in eye-shot, but kept their distance.

The older Doctor and the General spent the next few minutes arguing. The words “mnemonic equations” and other confusing terms were spoken. She understood none of it. Eventually, the Doctor started drawing signs on the ground, which to Rose seemed ridiculous.

“What is graffitti supposed to do?” asked Rose. 

The Doctor glared at her, and continued drawing. The symbols looked like calligraphy, or hieroglyphics.

“You are about to communicate with the hybrid TARDIS on a very deep level. That requires a procedure that's Pythian in nature,” said the General.

“Pythian?” said Rose.

“My apologies. I mean it resembles...I suppose you would call it magic,” said the General.

“It's all very mathematical, though. Just very complicated math. I'll explain,” the Doctor made a final touch to the drawing, and then finished, “never.”

Rose was instructed to sit in front of the TARDIS, and reach out her hand. The General sat down herself, and held Rose's hand. The Doctor stood behind them, out of sight, and gave instructions.

“Close your eyes, Rose Tyler. Listen to the sound of your hearts. Try to focus your mind, although since you're a novice, that will probably be difficult. Focus on the TARDIS in front of you—but don't touch it. Let her touch you first. Consent's important for a connection this deep,” said the Doctor. His Scottish voice seemed to settle within her mind, enveloping her in his acerbic tone. 

Something touched her outstretched hand.

“Calm down. Let the hybrid TARDIS inside your mind,” said the General. 

What felt like soft fur wrapped around her hand. A warmth crept over her her wrist, into her shoulder, and through her chest, into her double hearts. They were beating fast now, perhaps due to her nervousness.

“It tickles,” said Rose. 

“Shh!” said the Doctor. He sounded like he was right next to her left ear and right ear at the same time.

Eventually, an image of red crossed her eyes. It was like she was imagining it.

“Contact's been established,” said the General.

“Good. Okay, Rose. Ask the time ship why people are becoming Time Lords. And how to reverse it,” said the Doctor. 

“Why--” started Rose.

“No, not out loud! You've got a mind link with a ship—use your mind!” said the Doctor.

Rose concentrated. First, she tried just thinking out the question in her mind. Then she tried to write the question in her head. There was no response.

A sharp chest pain barreled through her hearts. Rose yelped, and nearly jumped up.

“Close your eyes, and get back into the mental connection now!” shouted the Doctor.

“But I felt--” started Rose.

“It's just an illusion. Ignore it!” said the General, whose eyes were still closed.

Rose closed her eyes, and returned to her trance. She tried again, and--

\--You and other Pilot wished for this it's irreversible Time has looked at your faces and left its mark Look behind you Gallifrey will burn You will die You have died You are dying A new race irreversible IRREVERSIBLE IRREVERSIBLE-- 

It was hurting her brain. The hybrid TARDIS was chattering away, filling her mind with words and images.

\--World burning New race of Malignancy Look behind you Lost your love A new race of Monsters Gallifrey will destroy your universe IRREVERSIBLE IRREVERSIBLE IRREVERSIBLE LOOK BEHIND--

A sharp chest pain barrelled through her hearts. Rose bit her lip, but ignored it.

“Rose! Wake up!” cried the General.

Rose opened her eyes. Her chest had a large bleeding hole in it, and her eyes were growing dim. As she looked, her hands started to feel warm. She turned around, to see someone with a gun pointed at her. It took her a moment to recognize him.

“I'm sorry. But I have to destroy that thing,” said Larry.


	6. Chapter 6

**Summary for the Chapter:**

> Clara and the Doctor known as John Smith have their own adventure.

Clara looked like a fairy up against the sunset. Perhaps her round face was what brought that to mine.

Clara and him had chosen a park bench to wait at. The streets and stores were empty, so the Doctor nabbed a few sandwiches from the local grocery. Clara had complained about paying, but the Doctor had waved her worry away. Torchwood would pay, he assured her. He was 90% sure that was the truth. At any rate, Clara had picked a nice spot next to the trees, and was currently looking at the her phone. 

The Doctor didn't quite understand Clara yet. She had been kind to him earlier, certainly. And anyone who got to travel with the Doctor had to be of higher stock. He didn't pick uninteresting people. But he didn't know her any deeper than that.

Clara noticed his stare, and cocked her head. For a moment, they were staring each other down. Her eyes seemed to be scanning him, or perhaps testing him. 

Finally, she softly murmured “It's nice.”

“What is?” asked the Doctor, leaning in. 

“Your smile. It spreads all around your face. It hides your eyes, though,” said Clara thoughtfully. She looked at her phone again, then tapped it, and put it away.

“Is that a good thing?” asked the Doctor. His grin got wider, awaiting her response.

“No. But it's in your eyes that you do all your thinking. Makes you easy to underestimate,” said Clara. 

“Maybe I should wear sunglasses,” the Doctor joked. 

Clara laughed at that. Then she focused on him again. He felt that sense of being scanned again.

“I think your eyes are nice, too,” she said. 

“How did you meet me? I mean, old and grumpy version of me,” said the Doctor. 

Clara sighed. Her mousy features wrinkled up, and she shook her head. 

“It's complicated. Living with you can be...the Doctor adds wrinkles to your life. Just by being him, he scrambles life. I don't regret it, but it's...” said Clara. Her gaze floated off, and then refocused on the Doctor.

The Doctor gazed at her. She knew he was hearing about himself, and not sure how to proceed. Nodding his head, he gave her permission to tell him what she truly thought. It was rare he got a chance to hear about who he was from a companion.

Clara cleared her throat, and took a bite from her sandwich. She slowly ate her food, then looked at him, saying “The Doctor's timeline and mine are wrapped around each other. My entire self is spread across the timelines, and due to unforeseen circumstances involving the Great Intelligence, all the selves are dedicated to protecting the Doctor. Sometimes I die, sometimes I don't. Either way, the Doctor met one of my selves, and found me, looking for answers. The events from that led to my division into splinters.”  
Relief played on her face. Perhaps she'd been waiting to tell this story for a while. Or perhaps she had just realized how it sounded.

“You know, most people who heard this story would be shocked. You still look serious,” said Clara. She offered him a soda, which he took. 

“Honestly, it's not the weirdest thing I've ever heard,” said the Doctor. In fact, this story made him angry, somehow. It disturbed him that he could take a young girl's life, and change it so utterly. That sounded more like a monster, than he liked.

Clara shook her head, as if sensing his distress, and quickly said “I'm not angry about it. It was my choice, and I'd do it again. But it's still an unavoidable side effect of living with the Doctor. Your life gets weird.”

“Well, then, it's not a problem. As long as you're happy,” said the Doctor. His heart still sunk, though.

Clara's enigmatic smile returned, and she said “Maybe you should wear sunglasses. Your eyes give you away.”

The Doctor started to reply, when he heard the shot ring out. Something in his mind moved, a feeling of worry. He looked back, towards the direction of the shot. Loud shouts came from that direction, sounds of distress. He counted the voices. Pete's. His older self. The General. 

But no Rose. 

Then a spasm collided with his mind. A feeling of invasion, like someone had jutted a hot poker into his brain. It was the TARDIS. Someone had just invaded the ship's mental privacy, and continuing the assault. He grabbed his head, gritting his teeth against the hot knife cutting into the link. A loud wailing resounded off the city walls. The Doctor felt the mind of everyone in the city, could sense their mental anguish at this violation. Darkness and pain clouded his mind, as the agony spread throughout the populace. He tried to reach out to Rose's mind, but the pain was too great. 

“Doctor, what's wrong?” said Clara. Her brown eyes were scared, and confused. He was reminded of Donna, suddenly. 

“Find your Doctor. Something went terribly wrong with Rose's mind transfer. Something is trying to invade,” said the Doctor. Clara nodded, and rushed away instantly. Grabbing his (and her) sandwiches, and stuffing them in his pockets, he followed her slowly. His mind sagged under the weight of the assault, but he refused to dwell on it. 

He had to check on Rose. He had to check on Rose.

Larry, the soldier from earlier, ran right past him. The man's face was stricken with fear, but something else as well. An odd mania was in his glance, like he was possessed. 

“What happenned?” demanded the Doctor.

Larry smiled at the Doctor, and with jagged teeth. His skin looked sallow, and his veins looked discolored.

“I'd tell you. But I'm more than just a little curious how, in the coming days, you'll make amends to the dead,” said Larry.

The Doctor felt confused. Larry's voice felt familiar, but he couldn't place it. Larry shrugged, and strolled off, whistling. The Doctor frowned, but kept on running.

He had to check on Rose. He had to check on Rose.

He came upon the older Doctor and the General carrying a body. Blood was splattered on their clothes, like they were handling the wounded. Clara looked back at him, her face stricken. The Doctor's hearts dropped.

The older Doctor looked back, and tried to say something to him. The Doctor pushed him away, and ran to the body. 

Rose was bleeding from her chest, where a large bullet wound was leaking. Blackish corruption spread over the wound, and Rose's eyes looked far away, as her hands twitched randomly. The Doctor knelt over her, and her eyes barely seemed to respond. Her mouth was moving, though who she was talking to was anyone's guess.

The older Doctor started talking about something. The Doctor ignored him, and asked “Who did this?”

“That is not the question. The question is--”

“Tell me,” said the Doctor coldly. When the older Doctor didn't respond, he looked at the General. She shook her head.

“It isn't safe for you to know,” said the General.

That ignorant Time Lord, thinking she knew what he needed to know. The Doctor said “Tell me. I'm not asking you again.”

“We don't have time for this. The corruption has already started,” said the older Doctor.

Corruption? The Doctor realized who had shot Rose. 

“I can stabilize her health, if we connect her to the TARDIS,” said the General.

“Do it,” said the Doctor. Anger slowly bubbled to the surface, and he felt the bits of him that felt human fraying off. 

“If we do that, she'll get more infected,” said the General.

“And if we don't?” asked the Doctor. 

The General looked at the older Doctor, with fear on her face, as well as something else.

The Doctor grabbed Rose's pale body, and linked her mentally with the hybrid TARDIS. Images of flesh and screams filled his head. Were these from the TARDIS? He didn't think about it, just directed the TARDIS to heal his Rose. He felt the Ship insert her mental pincers into Rose's mind, and direct her regenerative abilities. 

Rose's eyes focused on him. They were a lovely shade of pink, then black, then back to normal. Her mouth was still whispering. He cupped her face, bringing it closer to here. Her words were of a language the Doctor couldn't understand. But they felt like black sludge rushing into his mind. He rested her down, as she continued muttering.

The Doctor stared at each of the others in turn.

“I'm going after the man who shot Rose,” said the Doctor.

“I can't let you do that. You're too immature,” said the older Doctor. His eyes were of a cold breeze, and he blocked the Doctor's path.

“I promise not to kill him,” said the Doctor. He was 45% sure he would keep that promise.

“No, you'll just place him in eternal torture,” said the older Doctor. His face was so judgmental, so condescending. The Doctor nearly slapped his older self.

“I'll go with him. Keep the Doctor in line. I'm good at that, remember,” said Clara, smiling at her Doctor. 

Behind that smile was fear. Fear of what the Doctor could do, what he would do. That gave the Doctor pause. Perhaps it was the older Doctor's face, but he was suddenly reminded of Donna, again. What would she say?

“Alright. I promise not to harm him unnecessarily. And Clara can come with. Stay out of my way, besides. Something's attacked the TARDIS, and Larry can tell me why,” said the Doctor. 

“Clara, are you okay with this?” asked the older Doctor.

“No problem. I don't mind hanging with him. He's more handsome than you, anyway,” said Clara.

The older Doctor raised his eyebrow. 

The Doctor looked back at Rose. His beautiful Rose, injured on the floor. He closed his eyes, and focused on Larry's time signature. It was oddly fuzzy, but the Doctor could still trace it. Quickly, his footsteps followed the trace.

His mind had been so angry that he had forgotten about the psychic pain. Now, it returned, like a needle in his spine. As his steps got closer to Larry, his pain became stronger. 

“Hey! Wait up!” said Clara, behind him. Without stopping, he looked back, to see Clara running to catch up. Slowing down to let her be beside him, he noted a few specters flying around the duo. The transparent colorful extra-dimensional beings were floating down. Was it because of the sunset? Or was something else drawing their attention? Truth be told, even the Time Lords weren't sure what those creatures were. All they knew is that those monsters didn't usually attack, unless they knew they were seen. The Doctor carefully pretended they weren't there.

“The sky is getting redder,” said Clara.

“Sunset,” said the Doctor.

“No. Like, blood red. This isn't sunset,” said Clara

The Doctor looked up at the sky, and his mental headache doubled. 

“Ah! You're right. That's not a normal sky,” said the Doctor. 

“Indeed. It's a dawn,” said Larry. His skin looked decrepit now, almost like he was dead.

He was sitting on a park bench. The red sky intensified around him, as if it was refracting off his body. 

“Why did you hurt Rose?” said the Doctor. 

“She was a delivery service. Straight to the TARDIS,” said Larry.

“Oh? Delivery of what?” said the Doctor.

“You connected her back to the TARDIS?” asked Larry.

“It was the only way to save her life!” said the Doctor.

Larry laughed, and said “That was stupid of you.”

The space behind Larry began to change. The ground began to warp, and grow tentacles from the ground. A red misty fog descended upon the land.

“Doctor? This looks bad,” said Clara.

Larry's face began to morph, as the red light touched his face. Small bumps began to form, and his chest started to expand, like a balloon.

The red light got stronger and covered the whole ground. Cardiff reflected red off every surface. The Doctor looked at Clara, and then grinned as he remembered something.

“Well, the good news is, I kept our sandwiches. Eat yours, I'll think we're gonna have a full day,” said the Doctor cheerily, as reality morphed into another form.


	7. Chapter 7

**Summary for the Chapter:**

> Rose awakens.

"Wake up,Rose Tyler."

Rose opened her eyes slowly. A massive headache was ripping through her head, and her body felt sore. In the background, she could hear her double hearts beating. Above her, she could see the blue sky. It had been two days since she last was awake. Rose didn't know how she knew that, but a deep part of her was certain of it.

The older Doctor and Pete were both sitting in front of her. Pete's face looked tired, and she could tell he had been worried about her. He smiled weakly at her. The older Doctor crouched on the concrete floor, staring into her eyes, searching for a sign of something. What, Rose couldn't tell.

"What happened?" asked Rose. Her legs felt wobbly as she tried to get up from the ground. For a split second, her vision blinked out, then it returned.

"You were shot in the chest," said the Doctor.

Rose remembered. The feel of pain barreling through her chest. The crazed, yet apologetic, stare of Larry, as he held the gun. The feel of something going through her, into the TARDIS. And the rapid pain that resulted.

"Oh god," whispered Rose.

"Do you feel alright?" asked Pete.

"Yeah," said Rose. A slippery touch ran down her spine, but it went away just as fast. Rose touched the back of her neck, and was surprised to feel something connected to it.

Turning around, she saw a tentacle extruding from an orange fleshy maw, and inserted into her back. It twisted around as she moved.

"It's the TARDIS, keeping you alive. It's been mending your body, even as it mends itself from whatever damage Larry did," said the Doctor.

Rose watched as the red maw opened and closed, small ropes of sinew criss-crossing like a hedge. A strong urge to touch it welled within her, but it was overriden by a sense of disgust.

"Why did he shoot me?" said Rose. Larry had never been the violent type, and although she hadn't known him for long, couldn't imagine why he was doing what he was doing.

"I don't know his reason. But when I get my hands on him..." Pete trailed off.

A tugging feeling started in Rose's spine, and spread to her neck. The hybrid TARDIS's tentacle pulled out of her body, and retracted back into its maw, which closed up. The blue amorphous mass that remained vibrated, but did not stir beyond that. Rose noted roots sprouting out from the bottom, into the ground.

"Is that good?" said Pete.

"Possibly," said the older Doctor. He approached Rose, and buzzed her with his sonic device. It tickled a bit.

"What's the diagnosis, Doc?" said Rose.

"You seem alive. Also, never call me Doc again," said the Doctor.

"Wait," said Rose, "Where's Clara? And John?"

The Doctor and Pete exchanged glances.

"Um, Rose. The world's gone a bit mental since you got shot," said Pete.

Rose looked at the Doctor, who frowned. Actually, this man had already been frowning, but he frowned even deeper. But he didn't say a word.

"Tell me what's going on. Or I'll start calling you Doc again," said Rose.

The Doctor held out a finger in the air. As he pointed, the air began to shimmer.

"This is a containment field, created by that TARDIS. It's trying to defend us from what's out there. Unfortunately, Clara's out there. As is your Doctor," said the older Doctor.

Her vision blinked out again.

"Now, Rose. I know you want to go save your Doctor. But I won't allow it," said Pete.

"Fine. I'll stay here," said Rose.

"Wait...you're not going to fight about it?" said Pete. Surprise crossed his face.

The Doctor said nothing. But his eyes looked angry.

"You expect me to go after him?" said Rose. Her hand jerked suddenly, and her headache got stronger.

"Seriously?" said Pete. He looked at the Doctor with concern.

Something was nagging at Rose's brain. Like she was missing something. Because Rose knew normally, she'd be trying to save John Sm--her Doctor. HER Doctor. She had promised to herself that she would never let anything happen to him. If he was in danger, she would rush to save him. But right now, she didn't feel the need. Her adrenaline wasn't rushing, her fear wasn't rising. In fact, she was more worried about Clara right now.

"Baby, are you okay?" said Pete. She could hear the fear in his voice, and somehow, could almost smell the wet scent of his emotion coming from his mind.

And deep down, she didn't quite care.

"Doctor, something is wrong," said Rose. She gulped, and said "Something is wrong with my emotions."

"What do you mean?" asked Pete.

Her headache got stronger, suddenly. It was like an anvil, splitting open her head. A humming started in her ears, like voices all coming together, all trying to talk to her.

"Ahhhh!" screamed Rose.

_*--"Really? A whole woman plopped out of Zeus's head. That sounds unsanitary," said Rose Tyler to the Doctor. His leather jacket looked out of place in Ancient Greece._

_"Maybe it was a metaphor," offered Jack. He loved the Togas. Probably because he could flash people easily._

_"Stranger things have happened. A new woman walking away, from another man's consciousness? Not weird at all," said the Doctor. There was a personal significance to the Doctor's words, but Rose couldn't understand them.--_

Rose found herself on the sidewalk. Or at least she thought it was a sidewalk. The concrete was burnt orange, like it was somehow corrosion. A purolosh glow cast over everything, and when Rose looked up, the sun had a purplish glow, and made Rose feel a little sick to look at. She moved down the street, feeling a little odd. The air seemed to weigh less right now.

"Rose Tyler!" said the older Doctor. He stuffed his hands in his pockets, shaking his head.

"How did I get out here?" Rose said.

"You ran past us. You said 'She's taking too long, and ran out!" said Pete.

"I don't remember that!" said Rose.

"Shh!" said the Doctor.

A man with two faces was walking down the street. The left side of his head had one face, and the right side had another. He wore the UNIT insignia, but his jeans looked ripped to bits. His shoes were worn, with gnarled toes sticking out of it.

The Doctor approached the man slowly.

"Hello?" asked the Doctor.

The man opened both his mouths, and said "Hello," with two different voices. His faces winced, as if to speak gave him pain.

"I'm the Doctor. What happened to you?" said the Doctor.

The man gulped, and his faces attempted a smile each. "It was like a switch. One daaayy the world was in great shape. Then a red light came ouf off nowhurr and everything changed. Black Water broke through from who knows where, and drunn...drowned much of my crew. Those you survived..."

The man motioned at his face. "They weren't the same."

"What's your name, soldier?" asked Pete.

"Simon...I think," said the soldier.

Liquid began to pour from the sky, although it wasn't cloudy. Black spots peppered the landscape, and pooled into small ponds on the ground.

"We need to get back in the containment field," said the older Doctor.

The older Doctor grabbed Rose suddenly, and dragged her along as the trio ran away from the flooding liquid. His eyes were focused only on getting away from here, and Rose had to rush to keep up with him. Pete hurried behind them, his eyes darting around as they walked.

The black water reached them, and dragged them back, like a tide on a beach. The Doctor kept hold of Rose, while Pete was swept away. The waves moved him away, and she saw his form recede in the distance. Rose couldn't worry about that, as the water was riding. The black water came in waves, and it took all of her might to stay afloat. She and the Doctor were helplessly moved to and fro by the water, and slammed into the buildings as the waves moved around. The two were taken a far distance, far away from the TARDIS.

As the water slammed them into another building, Rose grabbed the wall. The Doctor grabbed another wall, and they used the walls as leverage. After a few minutes, the water receded into the ground. It was like it had never happenned. The shy still shone an unearthly color.

“This weather isn't natural, Rose,” said the Doctor. His fingers touched the ground, and he dragged them over the concrete. Bringing his fingers to his nose, he sniffed them.

“What is it?” asked Rose.

“Nothing. No trace,” said the Doctor, almost to himself.

He stepped slowly, looking up.

“Question: Why did the weather suddenly act up?” said the Doctor.

“Something triggered it,” said Rose.

“Good conjecture. Another question: what were we doing before the storm hit?” asked the Doctor.

“Asking questions to that guy. Someone didn't want us asking questions?” asked Rose.

The Doctor grinned at her. Then he looked at the sky, and said “Well? Do you want to give up now?”

No response.

Then, someone appeared from the distance. It was...Rose and the Doctor, but with red eyes and razor sharp teeth.

“You know, we're technically not supposed to get directly involved. But you're just too fun to play with,” said the Doctor clone. His eyes shone red light, and his grin was like a malovolent copy of the older Doctor's.

“Play with? You've terraformed this planet,” said the Doctor. His face looked untroubled at seeing these weird copies.

“We've done more than that,” said the Rose copy. Her tone of voice matched Rose's.

“What the hell are you things? What have you done with my town?” asked Rose.  
The Rose copy cocked her head at Rose. She whispered to the Doctor clone, who shrugged.

“This really is all your fault. You let us infect the TARDIS, let us worm our way inside. Consider this us just making the place more comfortable for our benefactors,” said the Rose copy.

“The people transforming into mosters...did you do that? Or was that just side effect?” asked the Doctor.

The Doctor clone rushed into the Doctor's face, making the lower Doctor face-to-face with him. The Doctor held at his clone's hoodie, nearly falling despite himself.

“Oh, you would like that, wouldn't you? Unfortunately, you don't have the time for my conversation,” said the Doctor clone.

“I'm a very patient person,” said the Doctor.

“No, you aren't,” said the Rose clone. Rose stared at the woman, who winked back.

“No, I'm not. So, let's finish this quickly. Hmm..biomorpic resonance? Is that how you're cloning? Must be, since you've copied our clothes. Is it a psychic perception filter? Nah, feels like an organic thing. So, perhaps a Teri—”

“Terinikin? No, good guess,” said the Doctor clone. He was enjoying this.

“Ah, so do you copy my knowledge as well? Yeah, scratches off Terikin,” said the Doctor.

“What did you do to the town?” asked Rose again. Her headache started again.

The world began to get blurry. Crackles of pain hit her head, and she felt the urge to vomit for a split second. The Doctor himself suddenly gasped.

“No, you can't!” said the Doctor.

“It's too late. The world's already been changed,” said the Rose clone, lazily twisting her finger.

\--Listen, you idiot. It's an obvious distraction--

A loud voice spoke in Rose's head, clear as day. The voice felt utterly right, like it belonged in there, yet it certainly wasn't hers. Much too posh.

Rose grabbed the Doctor, and whispered “Probably a dis--”

“Yes, yes, well you've got us beat. We'll be going now. Nice face,” said the Doctor, waving at them.

“Oi! We're still talking?” said the Rose clone.

Rose heard a loud snap come from the sky, like lightning.

“Ah. That's our cue to leave. By the way, where's Clara? Go ahead. Ask me,” said the Doctor clone.  
“Where is she?” asked the Doctor.

“At the bottom of a cliff, locked behind a bunch of doors. That a-way,” said the Doctor clone, pointing lazily. Then he and the Rose clone left.

“What the hell was that?” asked Rose.

“A distraction. Those creatures haven't just been changing the environment and the people,” said the Doctor.

A large metal vessel landed in front of Rose and the Doctor. It looked like a sailong ship, with more sails, and much larger. Someone walked out, who looked human, except for antenna coming from their heads. A sigil covered their chest plate. Only Rose's experience with weirdness kept her from freaking out.

“Is this Earth?” asked the person.

“Yes. Where are you from?” asked Rose. Something felt off here, like her Time Lord senses were being tickled.

“I'm from Earth. From it's future,” said the humanoid.

“W-what?” asked Rose.

“Those creatures have been changing Earth's future. This is very bad,” said the Doctor.


	8. Chapter 8

**Summary for the Chapter:**

> Rose meets the future. The Doctor and Clara meet a young girl.

The ship's interior was reddish-brown overall. It wasn't the warm interior of some spaceships Rose had seen; there was a particular lack of chairs. Rose had been reduced to sitting on the floor. Nevertheless, at least the labels were in English, and the food was edible, even tasty. Having something to munch on immediately made her feel better. Her burgeoning Time Lord senses felt calmer now. Even the buzz in the back of her brain felt quieter.

Around her were several men and women in suits. Rose assumed that these were some sort of futuristic space suits, but she couldn't be sure. Occasionally, someone would stop and look at her, and she smiled back. She had no idea who these people were, or why they had come from the future. The older Doctor wasn't explaining things at all; instead, he was reading an on-board magazine. His dark blue eyes seemed uninterested in the spectacle around him, and no one commented on how out of place he looked in his hoodie and jeans. Rose herself had been given a warm coat to counteract the decreased temperature in the ship. The Doctor had nearly slapped the person who tried to offer him a coat.

Rose moved her chair closer to his, and leaned over to him, saying “What's that magazine about? Is it vital intel?”

“It's a children's magazine from the future,” said the Doctor. There was no trace of irony in his voice, and in fact she detected annoyance at being interrupted.

“So, vital intel, then.”

“Definitely. Knowing what society teaches the children is one of the best ways to learn about it,” said the Doctor. He didn't elaborate past that, and continued reading. 

Eventually, a person walked up to him. His suits, like the others, were covered in tubes, with orangeish metal over a strong black net. The person took off the helmet, and revealed a brownish face, with dark green eyes. He smiled, and raised his hand with three fingers outstretched. Rose guessed it was a future equivalent of a wave. “My name is Halvan. You two are Rose Tyler, and the alien entity known as the Nytharthol--.”

“I prefer the Doctor. You and your kind have come a long way from home. I'm not fully aware of the technological timeline of this dimension, but you have some good kit on you. Time travel tech is hard to come upon.”

“We didn't come upon it. We made it. Relics from the past,” said Halvan. There was a note of pride in his voice.

“The past? You mean, like now? We don't have time travel tech,” said Rose. Nothing in this ship looked like technology in this era. 

“We know. We're here to stop that from happenning. This year—it's known as the Covenant Year. Our ancestors made a deal with a group of creatures, and they changed us inside. They changed our biodata, and turned our kind into monsters. In desperation, we've sent a team back to change it,” said Halvan. 

“Monsters? What sort of monsters?” asked the Doctor. “And how many of you are there? This ship's pretty small. Can't fit but more than five. Not a lot of force behind this effort.”

“The time-ship that was being kept by Torchwood mutated, and began to change the world. Monsters began to appear all over the land, and rip us to pieces. We tried to defeat them, and establish a new society, but every time one of us regeenerated, we would go madder and madder. And now, our population has gone insane. Most people in our time have become roving lunatics. The only lucid ones left have decided to go back, and stop this event from ever happenning. And we need your help.”

“Why would I help you? You kids played with the fire of Time Lord biology, and you got a bad burn. That's part of life,” said the Doctor. He still hadn't looked up from the magazine.

“We weren't referring to you,” said a woman who walked up. Her eyes were a deep purple, and she glared harshly at the Doctor. “We were talking about Rose Tyler. 

 

Lilah watched how the sky had changed rapidly outside. Just a few hours ago, soldiers had been milling about, claiming that there was a flu or something going around. But Lilah knew better. The Cyber-men crisis that had occurred in her high school years had taught her about how the government tried to hide strangeness. Even now, the government radio was a constant alarm about “staying calm.” 

The sky didn't seem calm, though. Dark creatures were stirring, and darker voices were in her head. She could hear them whispering, trying to give her advice. The voice had started after the car crash. The doctors had considered her dead, but her heart had restarted. Or hearts, rather. Her life was a medical miracle, but one the doctors had been loathe to speak about. As if they were afraid someone would interfere. 

The man who had eventually discharged her had been a wonderful Doctor. He had never given his name, nor ever revealed his eyes. He had arranged for a constant supply of a certain drug to be sent to her location, and made her promise to take it, saying that the drug would help her symptoms.

“What's my disease?” Lilah had demanded. The Doctor hadn't given her a straight answer, but promised her that she had gotten a much better deal than some others with the procedure. 

Lilah had constantly taken her drugs without fail. That scared her; she was frequently forgetful. Yet her mind could not forget to take her dose. She had done some experiments; eventually she realized there was no actual day that she hadn't taken her dose on 4:48 every two days, on the dot. No matter where she went, or what she decided, she always found herself taking her dose. 

Except that the package that mailed in her dosage hadn't arrived today. It was 4: 30, and she only had one dose left . She wasn't sure what would happen in two days. But looking at the empty streets, she had a feeling the package might be delayed a bit. 

Her uncle was upstairs, asleep. He was slumped in his chair, and she worried whether or not she would be able to get groceries in time. Food was running out, and the assuraces from the military that “help would be coming soon” now seemed hollow. Whatever Torchwood had been doing had gone very wrong. Lilah hadn't gone outside, but somehow could sense that some sort of evil creatires were outside. It was like the feeling you got about the monster under your bed; she just knew. Her practical brain laughed at that fear. Not that she would have a choice. Food was running out; she would need to go outside whether she liked it or not.

Her eyes turned to the door. Her mind's sixth sense—the same sixth sense she had gained since the flash of light, a sense that had only gotten stronger since her crash—told her something was coming. Grabbing her ax, she walked to the door. Outside, she saw a man with a brown coat, and a woman wearing a purple suit, running fast. They looked scared. Out of reflex, she opened the door.

The man and woman looked over at her, and ran to the door. Before she could complain, the man had closed the door. He reached into his coat, and then mutterred “No screwdriver!”

The woman placed a chair under the door, and peeked out the window. She looked outside, and then looked at Lilah, and said “I'm Clara, and this is the Doctor. Sorry to barge in, but we're being chased.”

“Story of my lives. Wonderful place, by the way,” said the Doctor. He peeked outside, and then immediately drew back.

“Is he out there?” asked Clara. 

“'Fraid so,” said the Doctor. Lilah walked to her window, but was yanked back by the Doctor. 

“Bad idea. No, VERY bad idea,” said the Doctor. He raised his hands to his temples, and frowned. “Must think, must think.”

“Do you have any idea what those things are?” asked Clara.

“No idea. Used to be human. Now it's being controlled by something else,” said the Doctor.

Lilah had no idea what they were talking about. “Get out of my house.”

“Shh. Something's coming, and it's not friendly,” started Clara.

A loud thump came from the door. It sounded like someone breaking down the door.

“Doctor, let us in,” said the voice. It drove shivers down her spine. An image started in the back of her mind, like a shadow.

“What's your name?” said the Doctor suddenly.

“Lilah, and--”

“Lilah, hi! Nice name. Like lilies, or rose. Anyway, I'm going to need to borrow your ax,” said the Doctor.

“You have a plan,” said Clara anxiously.

“Yes. Lilah, I need your ax,” said the Doctor again.

The thumping sound came again. Lilah thought, and gave him the ax. The Doctor grinned, and pointed upstairs.

“Get going, Lilah. I'm dealing with this,” said the Doctor.

“I'm not leaving you alone with that thing,” said Clara.  
“Never said you were. You're the diversion,” said the Doctor.

“Just the diversion? I feel unappreciated,” said Clara cheekily. 

The Doctor thought, and said “Okay, you get the ax,” throwing the ax to her. 

She looked shocked. “What do I do?”

The door split open from force from outside. Lilah caught the gaze of what was outside. It was a deep veiny red, with a sense of malignancy. There was a smell of death from it.

“GO UPSTAIRS!” said the Doctor. 

Lilah followed his instructions, as chaos erupted downstairs. She heard shouting from the Doctor, as Clara seemed to be hacking away at whatever was outside. Sharp squelching sounds came from below, as Lilah ran to check up on her uncle.

His face looked stricken.”What's going on?”

Lilah opened her mouth, but didn't know how to explain it. Instead, she found herself ingesting the pills she didn't even know was in her hands, swallowing down her medicine. She knew without looking it was 4:48.

A sudden bang impacted the room's door. “Lilah, let me in.” It was the Doctor's voice, and Lilah opened the door.

The red creature, its body cut open, rammed through the open space. It threw Lilah like a ragdoll, and she slammed into the wall, a loud crack emitting from her neck. Her uncle barely rolled away an inch before the creature grabbed him, and covered its body with his. It grabbed his limbs, and carried him out the window. Lilah soon lost consciousness.

When she woke up, she was in the bed of her uncle's room. The Doctor was pacing the room, and Clara was looking at her worriedly. She felt different somehow

“Lilah, are you okay?” asked Clara.

“Where's my uncle?”

The Doctor, hands clasped behind his back, shook his head. “I'm so sorry. He was kidnapped.”

“By what? What was that thing?” asked Lilah. Her voice sounded wrong, all wrong.

“By what used to be human. Some sort of monster. I'll find him. But right now, tell me—how do you feel?”

“Angry.”

“I meant, physically.”

“My voice is all wrong. What did you do to me?”

Clara and the Doctor exchanged glances. Then Clara showed Lilah her face in the mirror.

Lilah had been born with the features of a daughter of an Irish immigrant—red hair, stark white skin. Her red hair was still there, but her eyes were a deep dark brown, and her face was a mixed light brown.

“What the f...”

A rush of anger filled her system, blinding out the rest of her senses. She ran at the Doctor, who dodged her movements. Eventually, it passed, and she saw a demon shadow behind her. The slithering form seemed to eye her, like a snake staring at prey. It filled her with dread, and she backed away slowly. 

“What she's looking at?” asked Clara. 

“Things from beyond our universe. Monsters from before you were born, and after you'll die,” said the Doctor. He approached the phantom, and held out his hand to shake. “Is this world's problems' your kind's doings?”

The phantom ignored his complaints, even as the Doctor walked up to its face. After staring at Lilah for some time, the creature opened its mouth, and in her uncle's voice, said “Return to the door.” Then it disappeared. 

The Doctor's face went slack. He brushed his hair, and sighed loudly. “I don't understand. I don't understand what's going on. These creatures rarely interfere with humanity—why now? Why in this place?”

“What's going on?” asked Lilah. 

The Doctor whirled around to her, and frowned. “I'm not sure. Something seems to have taken over this entire plane of reality. And I don't know why. Like someone's dangling the answers right in front of me, daring me to figure it out.”

The sky outside began to change again. Lilah's eyes saw it turn into a color like light blue, tinged with some other colors that she couldn't place. Colors she had never seen before. Small black spots appeared in the sky, and started growing bigger. She realized that something was drawing closer to Earth, at an extremely fast rate. 

“What's going on, Doctor?” asked Clara. 

“I have no idea. It doesn't look good, though,” said the Doctor. 

The spots were closer now. Lilah could see they were really giant drills, spinning quickly as they barrelled to the ground. Bronze-like skin gleamed over the large behemoths, as they drew closer and closer. Warm wind began to nearly blow down the house, and the Doctor's brown cloak flapped in the breeze. His face was scrunched up. Concetration and fear broke over his face.

“Is this an invasion?” asked Clara.  
“I need a closer look,” said the Doctor, walking out the room. Lilah and Clara were left alone, and Clara looked back at Lilah.

“Hey. You ok?” asked Clara. 

“No! I don't know what's going on!” 

“I know it's scary. Me and the Doctor—we handle scary. Stick with us, and we'll be okay.”

“My whole body's changed. My voice is wrong. What happenned?” said Lilah. 

“It's called regeneration. You've gained the ability to die, and come back all new. New face, new body. You're still you, though.”

“And my uncle's been kidnapped!” said Lilah.

“We'll get him back. I understand you're scared. But nothing will go bad--”

The Doctor burst through the door. He stared like a wild man at the two. “Something's gone terribly wrong. It's worse than I thought.”

“What's worse than evil zombie creatures attacking us? Seriously, it's pretty bad!” said Clara. 

Then the drills hit the ground. The boom hit Lilah's ears, and penetrated her core. The earth beneath her feet began to shake, as the Doctor yelled out “DOWNSTAIRS!”

Lilah and Clara followed the Doctor downstairs. As Lilah carefully walked down the steps, the wood of the steps began to crack. Then it broke apart, and she fell onto the floor, the cold wood smacking her face. Even her pain felt different, and she slowly pushed herself off the floor. In the doorway was a man with picth-black eyes, without any irises. His face was sour. 

“Why are you here?” asked the man. She recognized him from somewhere, but she couldn't quite place it. She realized he was looking at Clara.

“Me? I was dragged here by a friend,” said Clara. “You need to get to safety.”

“Do I? I'm rather good at keeping alive,” said the man. He calmly walked to Lilah's side, ignoring the falling wood, and held out a gloved hand. Out of impulse, Lilah took it. It felt comfortable.

“Have you taken your meds, Lilah?”

“Yes,” said Lilah. She said it without meaning to.

“Good.”

“What meds? What's going on?” said the Doctor. 

“I'd love to tell you. But I have no time,” said the man. His pitch-black eyes straight into Lilah's. He whispered to her “Sleep.”

Her mind went blank.

 

For millenia, the General has spent time watching time be violated over and over for a war. For millenia, she has watched horrific events that destroyed causality.

As those drills pierce the Earth, and invade the history of this timeline, and corrupt it, she knows she is seeing it again.


End file.
